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Old 12-01-2015, 05:53   #31
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

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Originally Posted by valhalla360 View Post
Also the fuel efficency gains in a dedicated power cat that can run at 20kts, are probably a lot less than you think. As long as you keep the throttle under control, a mono-trawler does pretty good and if you have the ability to do 20kts, most owners can't resist using that speed.
Here is one example of the differences.

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Old 12-01-2015, 06:08   #32
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

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Originally Posted by agmay View Post
Honestly thought this was a cat vs. dog discussion...
You mean it's not?
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Old 12-01-2015, 06:40   #33
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

They're in the BVIs: We passed through there last winter and saw lots of power-cats amongst the charter fleets, they looked to be 'standard' boats, but with the mast, sails and rigging removed. It struck us as a good idea: A large proportion of the Charterers don't have the time/interest/ability to make use of the sails, so why not just tuck them away somewhere safe, dry and secure, then when it's time to sell that catamaran out of your fleet, you have an only slightly-used rig and sails to refit and sell it with; alternatively, you can use them as 'spares' to keep the sailing fleet running.
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Old 12-01-2015, 09:14   #34
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it's not that bad :)

powercats are rather popular amongst military. Our local Coast Guard
recently obtained eight of these

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Old 12-01-2015, 09:42   #35
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In the Rio Dulce, it has nothing to do with design. Those ricos stand on the throttle until just 0.000005kts away from coming up on plane. The boats have their bows straight up in the air, and are sunk in their wavefront up to the portholes.

They do it on purpose. We had a wake come into a marina so large that it picked up a catamaran and sat it right on the dock. Two monos (not in adjacent docks!) had bad mast damage because they rolled until their masts crossed and rigging caught.

I have had much smoother passages in the tradewinds.

Mark
Yes, Im convinced that its deliberate...surely at least their captains, not the owners, know better.

And the ricos who just flew in by private plane/copter for the weekend could care less how much fuel they are wasting...cheap entertainment for them! ;-)
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Old 12-01-2015, 09:49   #36
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powercats are rather popular amongst military. Our local Coast Guard
recently obtained eight of these
...
Saw a big military cat docked in Santo Thomas, Guatemala a few years ago. Didnt get a look at the flag, but USA I assume. Passed us just offshore of Belize...holy crap it was fast! And kicking two huge rooster tails.
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Old 12-01-2015, 09:56   #37
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Re: it's not that bad :)

Those look like SWATH cats, quite different, not shallow draft boats.

Cats are missing a huge amount of interior space between the hulls vs a monohull of the same width. Boats that size the fuel cost is not a concern,
but the loss of space surely is, and they spend almost all their time at the dock. (the USCG is not a dockqueen and fuel matters). Note sails would not work with a monohull that large. so none of those boats would have sails.

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powercats are rather popular amongst military. Our local Coast Guard
recently obtained eight of these

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Old 12-01-2015, 11:28   #38
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

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Here is one example of the differences.

Mark
If you look at typical cruising speeds (5-8kts) the lines all converge, confirming my point.

Without knowing the specific boats in the example, the chart doesn't mean much. Someone showed a picture of an extreme design with a small cabin on very long narrow hulls. While it will motor very efficently, it will have drastically less living space and functional issues for a cruiser.
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Old 12-01-2015, 13:56   #39
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Re: it's not that bad :)

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Those look like SWATH cats, quite different, not shallow draft boats.
...
Looking closer it does appear to be a SWATH. Whole different animal...neither cat nor dog.
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Old 12-01-2015, 14:00   #40
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

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If you look at typical cruising speeds (5-8kts) the lines all converge, confirming my point.

Without knowing the specific boats in the example, the chart doesn't mean much. Someone showed a picture of an extreme design with a small cabin on very long narrow hulls. While it will motor very efficently, it will have drastically less living space and functional issues for a cruiser.
Typical of what? Last power cat I ran we typically cruised at about 20 knots and topped out around 32.

A mono trawler might cruise at 5-8 knots, but not most other power vessels.
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Old 12-01-2015, 14:02   #41
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

I do not think power cats will gain quite the acceptance of sailing cats in the general boating market, but IMHO it is just a matter of time before they won't be so unusual to see.

In 1997, I chartered a catamaran in the BVI and they were not that numerous--25-30% of the sailboats in my estimation. Power cats were non-existent except for some of the ferries that ran between the islands.

In 2009 there were a few motor cats, mostly at the Moorings charter base. The marina basin by the new Moorings office was dominated by the larger sailing cats, though.

In 2013, that same marina basin was exclusively power cats! With the Moorings charter business model, these boats will eventually go into charter in the lower-tier charter market and/or sold to private owners or kept by the original owner.

I think as the charter market helped drive the acceptance/demand for sailing cats, it will eventually have the same impact on motor cats.

I live on Long Island, NY and I see a noticeable increase in power cat runabouts (up to 26') -- some open, some cuddy cabin.

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Old 12-01-2015, 14:20   #42
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

Back when I was at CMA, the first cat ferries were entering the market. The operators saw both their transit time and fuel burn reduced for the same routes of their older fleet. What they didn't expect was a certain consumable from the ship's stores had reduced usage, and that was the sea sickness bags.

A Polish boat builder called Bond has built a trailerable (9' 10" beam) powercat that is rated offshore and can run 25 kt on (2) 60 hp outboards. Motorcat 30.
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Old 12-01-2015, 14:33   #43
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

I think everyone is missing the obvious and that is with even a smallish sailing cat like the Lagoon 380 (Mahe, Seawind 1000 or even a Gemini) you have virtually unlimited range. Crossing oceans is a viable option. But to achieve this with a power cat you will need to go bigger and may still have to carry extra fuel on deck. The Maine Cat P47 can do 2000 miles at trawler speeds but it will cost around $1 Mill.
Maine Cat P-47 - Maine Cat Catamarans
They can do larger tanks if you can afford it. $$$$$

PS I wouldn't do a big passage in a Gemini.
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Old 12-01-2015, 15:07   #44
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

I don't think anyone is questioning, or missing, the fact that a sail cat has better range. Sail monos do also.

The OP was about power cats vs. power monos.

You bring up an excellent point, though. Very few sail cats have the fuel capacity to cross oceans. However, I think that is also rare in power monos - though not as rare as power cats.

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Old 12-01-2015, 15:09   #45
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Re: Why are cats not as popular for powercruisiers?

You could do long distances comfortably on this power catamaran:-

Top 10 Superyachts in Asia 2010 - Page 5 | Luxury Insider - The Online Luxury Magazine
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